Continuation of If/Then

Part 19

*Flashback to Meredith's intern year, starting at Joe's*

Meredith walks into the bar. She looks around and sees a bunch of people she vaguely recognizes from earlier that night. This must be the bar that the hospital staff usually hangs out at. She walks up to the bar and sits on a stool.

"What can I get for you?" Asks the bartender.

"Um. A vodka cranberry?" She orders quickly. Meredith never really found her drink. She would switch off between a few different girly drinks that she didn't really like.

"Coming right up." Joe responds as he pours the drink and slides it to her.

On the other side of the bar there was a tight table where a few of the Seattle Grace attendings were sitting, welcoming their new coworkers. 

"So, how long have you two been married?" asked some surgeon that Derek couldn't remember the name of. Derek didn't even turn his head to respond, figuring Addison could answer the question for them. Derek was too preoccupied looking at the beautiful woman at the bar. He wanted nothing more than to walk up there and spend the whole night flirting with her. But sadly he had to converse with his boring new colleagues.

"Almost eleven years." Addison responded as she grabbed Derek's hand. He had no reaction to the movement.

Derek watched as a tall, muscular man walked up to the woman he had his eyes on. She was ignoring him which made Derek smile. Addison of course thought the smile was coming from her detailed description of how they had met, but Derek wasn't even aware she was talking.

The woman at the bar finally turned to the muscular man, smiled, and held out her hand for him to shake. At this, Derek gulped down the rest of his drink.

"I'm going to go get another drink" Derek said, interrupting his wife. As he got up and went closer to the bar, he was able to hear the conversation between the two.

"I'm Alex."

"Nice to meet you, Meredith" She said turning to him.

"So you're an intern too? Which specialty?"

"Surgery."

Derek grinned at the news that he would soon be working with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He of course knew nothing between them could ever happen because of his wife, but that couldn't stop his happiness.

"Me too."

But that definitely could. He gruffly squeezed between the two and ordered another drink.

"You two are surgical interns?" He asked while facing the woman and having his back to the man.

"Yea dude." Alex said, clearly annoyed at the interruption. 

Derek turned around to face the man. "I am the head of neurosurgery. Call me dude again, and you will never be put on a neurosurgical case."

Meredith snickered, which gave Derek a small smile.

Joe handed Derek his drink, and Derek announced, "Add the polite interns next drink to my tab." while putting his hand on her shoulder to signal that he wanted to pay for her drink. 

"Thank you..." Meredith said, realizing she didn't know his name.

"Derek, Derek Shepherd." He said shaking her hand, "I hope you have a good night, and I hopefully will see you tomorrow." Then he walked away.

"What an ass." Alex growled.

"I don't know, he payed for my drink." Meredith recoiled.

"We were standing together and he only payed for your drink. He was hitting on you."

"He's my boss. He wouldn't hit on me."

Alex laughed.

When Derek got back to the table, Addison, who had been watching the interaction, asked, "Who are they?" She pointed to Meredith and Alex.

"New interns."

"The blonde is hot." Said one of the attendings.

Derek nodded in agreement, which earned him a deadly glare for Addison.